In certain media content distribution systems, media content is encrypted before being distributed over a media content distribution network. The encryption of the media content, which may be required by owners and/or providers of the media content, is designed to protect the media content from unauthorized access and/or use.
Access to and/or use of the encrypted media content may be controlled through selective distribution of decryption keys configured to be used to decrypt the encrypted media content. A distributor of encrypted media content typically provides decryption keys only to parties authorized to access and/or use the encrypted media content (e.g., to paying customers).
The encryption and decryption of media content imposes significant overhead costs on a media content distribution system. For example, before a media content access device that has accessed encrypted media content can present back the media content for experiencing by a user, the media content access device must retrieve and use appropriate decryption keys to decrypt the encrypted media content. In conventional media content distribution systems, such a media content access device dynamically requests and receives, from a service provider, an individual decryption key “on-the-fly” and/or “as needed” for use to decrypt particular encrypted media content. In certain media content distribution systems, however, such dynamic retrieval of a decryption key imposes undesirable inefficiencies, delays, and/or overhead costs.
To illustrate, when a user of a media content access device decides to switch from accessing one media content program to access another media content program (e.g., by changing channels from one media content channel to another media content channel), the user provides appropriate input to the media content access device, which then performs one or more operations to effectuate the requested switch. Unfortunately, the switch may be delayed, less efficient, and/or costly because of undesirable inefficiencies, delays, and/or overhead costs imposed by the media content access device having to dynamically and individually retrieve a new decryption key, which is needed to decrypt the other media content program, from a remote source at the time of the switch and/or in response to the switch request. The delay, inefficiencies, and/or costs associated with effectuating such a switch in accordance with conventional technologies may degrade user experiences and/or be otherwise costly and/or detrimental to operators of media content distribution systems.